Reliability
by Aviantei
Summary: "I kind of wanted to be a new me. That's why I decided to move away from home." But moving doesn't mean Megumi will ever change, and the things she's trying to leave behind won't disappear, either. Still, a collision with Rakuzan's basketball captain might at least make her somewhat...reliable. [AkashixOC]
1. 1—Stairwell

**Reliability**

By: Aviantei

1—Stairwell

* * *

 _The sky, at that time, was a certain shade of blue._

* * *

Megumi took a deep breath before she opened up the door. Peeking around its edges, the girl was able to determine that the rooftop was empty, something she was infinitely thankful for. Unlike her middle school, the rooftop at Rakuzan was usually abandoned during lunchtime, making it the perfect place to disappear to. Going to the school store just because there hadn't been food to make dinner and lunch at home was about as much adventure as Megumi could handle for the day.

She closed the door behind her, not for the first time wishing she had access to the key. Even though nobody seemed to ever come up to the roof, that didn't mean someone else wouldn't try it on a whim. Just the thought of having to strike up casual conversation with a stranger was enough to make Megumi feel nauseous. Pushing the thoughts out of her mind, Megumi walked to the opposite end of the roof and sat down, resting her back against the fence.

She didn't know what she had picked for lunch; she had just scraped up something, gave the woman at the register her yen, and left as soon as possible. Megumi ate on autopilot, her neck slowly craning back to look up. The food tasted good for lunchroom fare—as expected of Rakuzan's reputation—but that was irrelevant. The sky was clear of any clouds, an inverse ocean resting above the rooftop. Megumi stopped midway in taking a drink, lowering the carton back down to the ground at her side.

"Hey."

There was no answer. A few other students called out to each other in the courtyard below, but none of it was meant for Megumi. She could tell she wasn't smiling, and tried her best to even out the frown that was steadily forming on her features. It didn't work, and Megumi abandoned the activity in favor of continuing to speak.

"You know, I'm really starting to wonder if this whole thing is even worth it," she said, a heavy sigh following her words. "I keep trying to get out there and try new things, but I choke up way too easily. I mean, I can't even talk to other people. Right now's the only time when I can even say anything about myself and even then…"

Megumi looked down for a minute, taking a small bite from what was left of her sandwich. She chewed slowly, taking a thoroughness with her energy intake that was completely unnecessary. Swallowing, she looked back up.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Maybe I am trying to go too hard too fast." She took a sip from her drink, the liquid working its way through the provided straw. "It's really okay if I don't end up with friends this quickly. The fact that I'm even trying is worth something, right? I just gotta keep trying and eventually I'll end up better…that's gotta be it…"

When it came down to it, Megumi's tone was less than convincing. She knew that, and if she had actually been talking to another person, they would have known it, too. As it was, there was no one to call her out on her bluff except herself, and the girl couldn't work up the courage to say it. The one-sided rooftop conversation concluded at the same dead-end as always.

" _Kaizuto Megumi, please report to the guidance counselor's office. Again, Kaizuto Megumi…"_

The girl in question let out a long sigh after finishing off her juice box. It had seemed that today the rooftop had the extra advantage of letting her avoid any stares or whispers she would have gotten in the classroom due to the announcement over the PA system.

"Guidance counselor, what's that about?" she asked, staring at the clouds. After a moment of silence, she let out another sigh. Megumi crumbled up the remains of her lunch and shoved it into the bag the school store employee had given her with her purchase. She stood up, making a one-handed attempt to straighten out her skirt. "It's not even the end of the first trimester. It's a bit too early to be needing to think about my future. I am just a first-year after all…"

By herself, Megumi wasn't capable of coming up with a proper explanation. All the ordinary things that kids got called into guidance counselors for—shoddy attendance, a plethora of failing grades—were non-issues for her. There was a chance it had to do with the fact that she spent most of her lunch periods on the roof. Maybe the place was empty because no one was supposed to be up there.

"…Still, hanging out on the roof hardly makes one a delinquent. Besides, if they didn't want anyone up here, they could just lock it up," she muttered. "Plus a teacher could handle something like that, so why the counselor? Really, it's more of a question of why than who…" After a further period of consideration, Megumi was forced to admit that she really had no idea.

"And since that's the case, all I really can do is go and ask."

At this rate, she would probably end up being late for class. She had already eaten her lunch, though, so it wasn't like she had a use for the time she had left. The only thing Megumi was really accomplishing on the roof was avoiding others.

After taking one last look at the sky, Megumi left through the door she had come in, trash in her hands. The stairwell was almost as peaceful as the rooftop, and her footsteps were the only thing that broke the silence. Taking the stairs on autopilot, Megumi stared out the windows, which were free of any smudges whatsoever. In a school like this, even the stairs were kept in impeccable shape.

Megumi's arm collided with the shoulder of a boy she hadn't noticed, sending the trash bag down the stairs until it landed at his feet. Megumi almost jumped backwards up the stairs in an attempt to give her collision partner some space. She kept her mouth shut until she was certain that she wouldn't stutter.

"I'm sorry," she offered.

The boy she had run into scoffed, and Megumi winced. His frown wasn't helping, either. Her nervousness disappeared once she was able to look at him, though. His hair had to be the most eye-catching part of him—a startling red beyond what she was used to—but she was quickly proven wrong. It was his eyes, narrowed in irritation, one the same color as his hair, the other a golden yellow. It was Megumi's first time seeing heterochromia outside of fiction, and she ended up staring without meaning to.

"Don't look me in the eyes," the boy said.

"Huh?"

If Megumi hadn't known better, she would have called this the beginning of some novel or manga—or at least a dream that was imitating one. The boy's tone was too calm to be called insecure, which started to put him into the 'enigmatic character' category. However, the reality of it was that he was wearing the male counterpart to Megumi's uniform, marking him as just another high school student, no matter how strange his words were.

 _But then why does it feel like I'm being ordered around?_

"Pay more attention to where you're going," the boy continued. Megumi blinked with the utterance of the words, just then realizing that she was intent on looking anywhere but his face.

"You didn't notice me, either," Megumi countered before she could stop herself. Now that she was conscious of it, it was difficult to look at his face without her attention being drawn to his eyes. The task consumed enough of her energy that there was no room for nervousness. "Can't you just take it as we're both at fault and move on?" Deciding that it wasn't worth the effort, Megumi looked back to his mismatched eyes anyway. The boy's frown deepened a bit further, but Megumi pressed on. "I'm sure we both don't want to waste what's left of our lunch on a silly argument like this."

Not to mention that she was supposed to be in the guidance counselor's office by now. If this kept up, the faculty would probably think she was avoiding the issue, and that would just cause more trouble. Letting that get out, though, was the last thing Megumi wanted, so she kept the words to herself, even if they could have helped her argument.

Without any prelude to the motion, the boy went to walk up the steps again, passing her. "You're not even worth wasting time on."

Megumi turned around. Even though it was better that the conversation was over, she still wasn't satisfied with how it had ended. However, the boy had already disappeared from view, the door to the second floor closing with a slam. Megumi sighed again, going to pick up her ball of trash from the steps. She didn't even know what she would have said if the boy had given her the chance to retort. It was better to let it go. But more importantly…

 _Did I really just say all that out loud? That was unreal!_

* * *

The guidance counselor, Yamada-sensei, was a fairly pretty woman in her early thirties, professionalism embodied with her dark hair tied up in a bun and glasses set over her eyes, which was giving Megumi trouble reading the woman's expression. Yamada smiled and gestured for the student to take a seat across from her. A teacup sat on the desk, steaming.

"Kaizuto-san, how have you been?" the counselor asked, pushing the tea across to Megumi. "Would you like any sugar?"

"No, thank you," Megumi declined, intentionally leaving the first question unanswered. It was meant more as a rhetorical question anyway. However, even those three words managed to come out slightly stiff, causing their speaker to bite her lip.

Yamada only nodded and rested her head on folded hands. Despite the glare coming off the older woman's glasses, Megumi knew she was being stared at. Yamada didn't say a word, and Megumi couldn't bring herself to. She drank from the teacup to avoid speaking.

 _It's bitter._

No matter how much Megumi was regretting her hasty decision at the moment, she didn't let it show. Yamada smiled.

"I can tell you have no idea why you're here, Kaizuto-san," she said. Megumi nodded and placed the cup back on the desk. "To be honest, I didn't expect to be calling you here, either. Your grades and attendance have been exceptional, particularly for a student who is living on their own for the first time."

That eliminated any normal issues. In accordance with Megumi's earlier logic, there was no reason for this counselor visit. "Then why?" she asked, a bit too quiet to be heard. "I mean, why am I being called down if there's really no problem?"

"Except there is a problem, Kaizuto-san," Yamada interjected. Megumi felt the apprehension form a coil in her stomach and start to push sweat onto her palms. She tried to look natural while wiping it on the sides of her skirt. "Forgive us if we're wrong, but your teachers have noticed that you don't seem to interact with any of your peers. You're not currently registered in any club activities, either."

Ah, _there_ it was. Megumi should have known that this was the problem. It had always been like that, though no one had ever really called her out on it. Before, it was easy, because she could use the excuse of prioritizing studies and family, but now—

"This may seem a bit personal, but do you have any friends outside of school?" Yamada continued. Megumi defaulted to honesty, since it took the least amount of work, shaking her head before she realized it would have been better to lie. "And according your records, your family lives quite far away, too. So it would seem that my colleagues' concerns about your lack of social interaction were correct, then."

Megumi couldn't retort. Because it was true. Other than what was necessary for classes and cleaning duties, Megumi hadn't talked with another member of the Rakuzan student body, and she definitely hadn't given them a chance to talk to her, either. Even stretching her memory, she couldn't remember learning anyone's name.

When it came down to it, she was alone.

 _But that's okay because that's what's easiest, so why does it matter, why can't you just ignore me like everyone else, I'm_ fine, _I'm—_

 _You're not even worth wasting time on,_ the boy in the stairwell had said.

 _Exactly._

Yamada's nails tapped against the desk. They looked manicured, and Megumi wondered if they were built to withstand the action or if they would fall apart. "It is Rakuzan's duty as a school to provide our students with the best experience they can possibly have and give them every opportunity it takes to grow into successful young adults." Megumi understood immediately. "As such, we can't ignore a case like yours. I want to help you, Kaizuto-san, so you can go ahead into the future that you want, no matter where that may be."

This wasn't about her; it was about the school's reputation. No matter which way you looked at it, Rakuzan was the top high school in the nation. The institution had a long history of successful graduates, most, if not all, of which were easily accepted into top-tier universities. It didn't matter how well Megumi scored on her tests and assignment if she couldn't function like a proper person in a social aspect.

 _Which begs the question of how did I even get accepted here again?_ Megumi had studied insanely hard for her entrance exams and had the scores to show for it, but that had been mostly out of luck. Her interview couldn't have been that impressive, either, but somehow she had managed acceptance, fortune even granting her the lowest ranked seat in class 1-A.

"Do you understand what I'm saying, Kaizuto-san?"

"I understand, Yamada-sensei," Megumi replied. She really did. Rakuzan was trying to make her scholarship money worth it and deliver the complete package by the time her graduation rolled around in three years' time. The fact that they were calling her in this early could only mean that they recognized her as near hopeless, and in need of a _lot_ of work before that day could come. "So then, what do you think I should do?"

There was really no need for Yamada to look so _pleased_ about the request. Really, Megumi was just going along with what worked best for her. She could barely afford her miniscule apartment as it was, and the Rakuzan enrollment fees were definitely out of the question. If playing along with the guidance counselor was what it took for Megumi to keep her scholarship, then fine.

Going home just wasn't an option.

"I take it that you have trouble making new friends, Kaizuto-san?" Yamada asked. It was such an understatement that Megumi could only nod. No need to go into the specifics. "That's understandable since you have moved to a new area. Ideally, we'd find you someone you could relate to—maybe even someone that went to the same school or lived in the same area as you beforehand. However, what I think will work best is for you to make a fresh-new start and go out into the world!"

The sudden enthusiasm on the counselor's part was almost overwhelming. Megumi grimaced, but distracted herself by looking at the last few wisps of steam rising from the teacup. "That was kind of the point," she admitted in a mutter. Yamada seemed to retreat a bit from the onslaught in favor of listening. "I kind of wanted to be a new me. That's why I decided to move away from home."

It was embarrassing to say the words out loud. It didn't help that her own tone of voice made Megumi sound like a simpering elementary kid about to cry on the playground because someone stole her favorite toy. It was even less of a declaration than her earlier words to the clouds on the rooftop. Still, Megumi forced a wry chuckle out of her lips.

"I guess I haven't been doing very good at that, now have I?" she said, the self-depreciation clear.

Yamada stared for a few more moments, like she was processing something. Megumi realized that the woman wasn't even taking notes. She didn't know if the absence or the presence of the action would have made her feel better.

 _But did I really need to say something like_ that _out loud?_

"Well, since you have that determination, it's time to give yourself a sub-goal that will indirectly lead to you to your real goal," Yamada stated. Megumi didn't quite follow. "Kaizuto-san, you should try and join a club. Now, now, hear me out." Megumi took another drink of the tea, hoping the bitter taste would shock some color back into her cheeks. "If you make your focus on being in a club and doing your actions as a club member well, that sort of behavior should lead you to interacting with other students more. At the very least you'll have new bonds, even if they aren't exactly close friendship. How does that sound?"

How did that sound? It sounded like hell. Megumi had never joined a club in her nine previous years of education, but she knew enough what to expect. Joining a club basically meant being shoved into a group of strangers with one common goal and having to interact with them several times a week. Megumi couldn't even build up the courage to try and become one person's friend, let alone at least five.

What Yamada-sensei was asking was truly impossible.

"Just go ahead and give it a shot. Any club is fine. Why don't you try, and if it doesn't work out, then you can come back and visit me again next week and we'll try to work something out then?"

Oh, no. Megumi wasn't coming anywhere near this place again. Yamada was an alright lady, but the idea of making regular trips to a place that was built to forcefully iron out problems was worse than being involved in club activities. Here, Megumi would be stuck trying to get to the core of her issues bit by bit, and it wouldn't take long for the whole school to know that she _needed_ professional help to even function.

 _In comparison to that, dealing with a club is nothing! At least there I'll have some sort of control over what I say and do…_

"I'll do my best, Yamada-sensei," Megumi agreed. She could promise that, at least. That definitely eliminated the chance of any guarantees.

Yamada smiled. "Good," she said. "Well, then, you better head off to class. I already told Uchida-sensei that you'd be seeing me, so there won't be any trouble if you're late. There are only a few minutes, left so you should hurry." Megumi nodded, standing up, her eyes darting to the clock on the wall. If she walked fast enough, she would be able to make it without running. "Oh, and good luck, Kaizuto-san."

Megumi said her short farewells and headed back towards the stairs. So all she had to do was find a club and sign up for it. Hell, she could even just put in the paperwork and that would at least buy her some time. Though, as her footsteps echoed up the stairwell, the boy from earlier popped into her head.

 _What if…what if everyone at this school's like that?!_

Megumi groaned. She hadn't just been _forced_ into joining a club against her will. She had been _tricked_.

* * *

(bursts out the confetti) As promised, it's summertime, so _Reliability_ has finally begun (and I'm even almost on time)!

To all the people who expressed their interest in this story while reading _Visibility_ , thanks a bunch! To those of you just joining, don't worry. This isn't a sequel. It's more of a tie-in piece, so you can read both or one at your leisure. I hope you enjoy.

Ahhhh, I have so many feelings about Akashi. That's kind of why this story exists. I've also become super attached to Megumi, so I hope you guys enjoy her, too.

I plan to take a more realistic take on psychology in this story (not necessarily in the jargon sense), so there may be some deviations from canon in that regard. Nothing too major, but you'll probably notice when I get there.

Um, I'm not sure what else to say about this story other than the fact that I'm really excited and I've put a lot of hard work into it. I hope everyone enjoys!

On a completely different note, the Twelve Shots of Summer challenge is back! Wanna try to write a one shot per week throughout twelve weeks? Check it out! Wanna read some well composed one shots by a lovely group of people? Check it out! We're in the forums section, and we'd love to hear from you!

Chapter two will release on July first. Please look forward to it!

* * *

2—Classroom

 _The clouds, almost arrogant, know no suffering._

[POST] 060815


	2. 2—Classroom

**Reliability**

By: Aviantei

2—Classroom

* * *

 _The clouds, almost arrogant, know no suffering._

* * *

Megumi made her way back to Classroom 1-A on autopilot, not really processing her surroundings. She could have just as easily run into several people on the stairs and not even noticed this time, except for the fact that every rational student was already in their class, ready for work to resume. Not even stragglers were present in the halls.

Once again, Megumi was some sort of outsider.

The realization of Yamada-sensei's full trick was more than enough to send Megumi into a state of shock. For a moment, the girl had been willing to let the counselor get close—not too close, but just a little bit closer than anyone else—to what Megumi's true thoughts were. The woman had responded by assigning an impossible task. Yamada-sensei was more devious than she looked, which was probably why Rakuzan had hired her in the first place.

 _What was I thinking, agreeing to that sort of thing? There's no way I can join a club. There's just no way!_

Despite her inner panic, Megumi managed to keep calm on the outside. Maybe it was easier since there wasn't anyone in the hall to watch her. Regardless, she dug her nails into her palms, trying to steel her resolve. At the very least, even if joining a club was impossible, she could still try to stay strong. There was no need to be awkward simply for returning to her own classroom.

Megumi managed to make it into the door just seconds before the bell rang. Uchida-sensei looked up at her entrance, but didn't comment. Megumi bowed her head a bit in apology before moving on to her desk. The sooner she sat down, the sooner the lesson could start, and maybe nobody would realize that she had been called to the guidance counselor's office over lunch break.

Halfway there, though, she stopped. It was almost a joke. Sitting in the desk right in front of hers was the same boy from earlier—unless he had an identical twin that just so also happened to have heterochromia. Any theory that Megumi could conjure up within a few seconds was easily crushed by the fact that it was easiest that this boy and the one from before were, in fact, the same.

 _Th-this enigma's been in my class this whole time and I never noticed?! He even sits in front of me, too…_

In some ways, there were definite disadvantages to not interacting with any of her peers. Those things had probably been in the background of the teacher's thoughts when they had decided that Megumi was a potential candidate for counseling. This particular scenario, however, was probably not one they had in mind. Megumi certainly had never considered it, either.

To make matters worse, he had _noticed_ that she was staring at him. While the rest of the students had mildly interested looks on their faces—probably making up some rumor, which was enough of a strain on Megumi's nerves as it was—the red-haired boy was staring straight back at her, his eyes narrowed in some form of intimidation or irritation.

Even though there was no way for the boy to enforce such a request—no _, command_ as the one he had made earlier, Megumi still tore her eyes away from him, instead staring out the classroom window. The normally reassuring blue was missing, obscured by trees and clouds. It had been a long time since Megumi had been able to physically _feel_ her heartbeat without effort, and the sensation was almost as overwhelming as the boy that had caused it.

"Kaizuto-san, are you feeling alright?" Uchida-sensei asked, and Megumi forced her attention to the teacher. His expression was a mix of worry and expectation, as if a student of Rakuzan wasn't permitted to suddenly freeze up in the front of the classroom and prevent the lesson from even starting. "Do you need to go to the nurse's office?"

"Yes—No—Ah, that is," Megumi stammered. She slammed her mouth shut and inhaled deeply through her nose before even daring to say another word. "I just felt dizzy for a moment, Sensei. It passed, so I should be fine. Please begin the lesson." Securing her eyes to the tiles in the floor, Megumi shuffled as fast as she could without attracting any extra attention back to her desk. It took her a few moments to remember which notebook she needed to pull out, but soon she was just as ready as the rest of Class 1-A, if not several levels more frazzled.

Uchida gave Megumi an extra glance, then nodded. "Very well, but if you feel the need, don't hesitate to go lie down," he said. It was an almost half-hearted suggestion, and Megumi felt even less inclined to go lie down than before, despite it being what she really wanted. Uchida cleared his throat before turning to the chalkboard. "Now, as we were discussing last class…"

The familiar pattern of the lecture set in, and Megumi could feel some of her tension dissolving. Soon enough, the regular cycle of life would return, and her screw-up would fade away from everyone's memories. It could last a few days, but Megumi didn't think it would be more than that. The distance between her and her classmates would either make the subject stick longer or fade faster, depending on the people involved.

It was scary, though, just how easily the boy had been able to shatter her attempts. As she had told the counselor, Megumi had come to Rakuzan in hopes of starting over. While she wasn't exactly at the "be able to normally socialize" level she had hoped for, Megumi still felt like she had been doing better at holding herself together.

 _So all it takes is a few harsh words and a glare and I'm back to where I started, huh…_ Hardly even registering what Uchida was writing on the board, Megumi chewed at the end of her pencil, instead staring at the back of an impossibly red head of hair. _I didn't notice this for two months straight? Even when it was right in front of me?_

A mental sigh. _Just as pathetic as always, huh?_

* * *

Megumi didn't learn much in the purely academic sense the rest of the day, mainly because she was too busy picking up little details about the redhead in front of her. Her distraction of the lectures didn't worry her too much—part of the reason she got the grades she did was from her ability to teach herself material from the textbook. So long as she had the reference pages and kept track of her homework assignments, Megumi would be able to pick herself up and do just fine.

Besides, he was more interesting anyway, even if Megumi only learned minor things. For starters, his name was Akashi, almost like the gods had blessed him with a hair color to match his family legacy out of some practical joke. Beyond that, though, he was called upon several times throughout the course of their afternoon classes, and he always had the answer right. He had answered one of the math example problems without even working at the board. And to the _decimal point_ at that!

There was always the chance that he was some sort of prodigy; the idea only served to make Megumi more impressed. Then again, maybe being a prodigy wasn't so unusual at a school like Rakuzan, but that didn't curb Megumi's excitement. There was something about having a tangible prodigy in front of her that was so much more alluring than probable ones in the peripheral.

The other part of her wasted time was spent on worrying about just what to do about her club dilemma. Like Yamada had said, it would probably be best to just go for it and pick a club to join and start out by going through the motions. The only problem was that, never having joined a club before, Megumi didn't even know where to start, let alone what sort of clubs Rakuzan had.

There was a strong chance most of her classmates would know. In fact, Megumi could say with almost complete certainty that she may have been the only freshman not to have already joined a group. Almost anyone of the others could probably tell her what to do, possibly even lend a helping hand, despite club recruitment season being over.

Of course, the problem with _that_ plan was that Megumi didn't know how to talk to them, which was why she was trapped in this whole mess in the first place! Just intruding on someone she had never met before because Megumi was pathetic seemed rude, not to mention required enough guts to jump over an invisible social barrier that you couldn't tell just how high it was.

Yeah, Megumi was definitely lacking _that_.

It would have been different if there were someone that she had talked to, even more a moment beyond the usual pleasantries. There was always the chance of the class representatives, but in Megumi's mind the sense of "power" made the barrier even more difficult to pass. Even if it was on accident, though, Megumi just needed _one_ sliver of connection to the rest of the student life world of Rakuzan High School.

It was probably the stress that made her take so long to figure it out. Megumi didn't need to forge an accident (which was even less likely than her approaching a stranger in the middle of a dark alley) because she had already had one. And while Akashi was more than intimidating to someone like her, Megumi would take whatever she could get ahold of.

And just like that, any time and money invested into the formal education of Kaizuto Megumi was instead sacrificed for the sake of mental preparation for contact outside of the small radius that served as Megumi's world.

* * *

"Stand," came the call of the class representative at the end of the day. "Bow." Megumi did the actions out of mechanical habit, her mind not really processing them. While the rest of the students went thanked the teacher for the lesson, she mouthed out the words she had planned to say, the closest she could get to rehearsing them. Once the final ritual of the school day was done, Class 1-A broke out into chatter, and Megumi took a deep breath before forcing herself to speak.

"Akashi-kun," she said, her voice managing to be steady, "I'm sorry about earlier. I was wondering if—" With a surely practiced precision, Akashi packed up his bag and left the room, not even acknowledging Megumi's attempts at speaking. He hadn't been even moving that fast, but there was such a smoothness to the action that he was gone before Megumi could even blink.

Putting a hand to her lips, Megumi replayed the scene in her head. She had definitely spoken loud enough for Akashi to hear her, there was no doubt about that. Even over the din of her classmates, she had accounted for any such interference. That left two options: either Akashi was simply too absorbed in thought to acknowledge her, or he was outright ignoring her.

 _Th-that's a bit harsh, isn't it? I mean, there's no way he could know, but I put all that hard work into trying to talk to him, and he just ignored it! And earlier, too… How did a first-year learn to be so rude?_

In some ways, this defeat was almost a harder blow than Yamada-sensei's earlier deception. At least that had been an active manipulation. Combined with Akashi's earlier words, Megumi felt almost definite of her lack of a need to exist.

 _No, I can't think that!_ Megumi thought, trying to get a grip on herself again. She bit the inside of her cheek, the pain serving as shock enough to get her moving again. _He probably has club activities or something important to do at home. And if it's the former, I can follow him and end up around other clubs. Even if my level of awkwardness, I should be able to talk to someone about joining if they start the conversation first._

Megumi rushed out of the classroom, leaving her bag and assignments behind. The school would still be open for a while, so she could come back and get them easily, aslong as she didn't dawdle too late. Looking around, Megumi was able to catch sight of the by now familiar red hair entering the stairwell on the opposite side of the hall. She navigated her way around the steadily growing output of students, making it to the stairs with just enough time to catch sight of Akashi on the floor down over the side railing.

What she was doing was crazy. Megumi could easily admit that. Beyond that revelation, she couldn't bring herself to stop, either. This was her first time doing something out of the ordinary that she didn't expect from herself since moving, and she wasn't about to let the energy she had disappear. She couldn't afford to wait another fifteen years to work up the courage to do something like this again!

Once she made it out the same exit Akashi had taken, Megumi slowed down. True there were still students here and there, but it was nothing compared to the traffic that was in the rest of the hallways. The _last_ thing she needed was for Akashi to notice that she was following him. Sure, she could mention looking for a club to join since it _was_ the truth, but that would probably fail to come out of her mouth just when she needed it. And no matter what, an encounter like that would most likely end in being on the receiving end of another of the boy's dual-colored glares.

Her heart couldn't take that much shock.

Megumi managed to keep her eyes on Akashi while looking over the area she was in. It was one of the several walkways that led to the gymnasium areas. That being said, her earlier hypothesis about him being in some sort of club was correct, and a sports club at that. Just to make sure, Megumi tailed the boy until he entered one of the gyms, then found a nearby bench that she could sit down on.

Even if she hadn't been running much, Megumi felt exhausted. Once she had stopped losing herself in the action, she realized that she had been hoping to engage Akashi in conversation, even if she hadn't had time to plan out any of the words again. As it was, though, she couldn't just walk into the gym and ask for a casual conversation, not while he had club duties. In addition, waiting outside of the gym until he was done could only get her labeled as a stalker.

"Yeah, I really did it now," she said. Leaning back on her palms, Megumi looked up to the sky. The clouds from earlier hadn't gone away, but at least they were still white. Between them were small patches of blue, and Megumi's eyes followed them as the clouds floated by, changing shapes. "Got myself all worked up over a dead end. Way to go."

At least fifteen minutes passed of Megumi sitting there, unsure of what to do. Several other students rushed by, either running past or heading into the same gym that Akashi had entered. They were probably heading towards their own club activities or friends, leading exactly the kind of lives that Megumi was supposed to find for herself.

"What a pain…"

She really shouldn't give up, though. A feeling nagged at her, telling her things she should have already known. If she didn't figure this thing out, she would be spending far too much time in Yamada-sensei's area, forced to talk about it. Really, even if her goal of talking to Akashi had failed, it was really only a means to learn about clubs on campus. That sort of legwork would be clearer if she just went straight to the source.

Megumi stood up, staring down the gymnasium door. No matter what sort of club was beyond that door, it would be best to look instead of guessing. On an off chance, it could be something she could join. Akashi wasn't a necessary presence to be in the club, but Megumi would feel better if there was someone she knew she could work up the courage to talk to was there.

After a minute of building herself up, she opened the door.

The impact of rubber colliding with the floor echoed from several areas in a mix of steady rhythms. Tennis shoes and whistles squeaked high notes into the air. Rims rattled and plays were called out, a mix of boys spread out amongst the large area of a Rakuzan gymnasium working themselves up into a sweat. There was no doubt that what she had just stumbled upon was the boys' basketball club.

Still, for something so simple, Megumi was stuck staring. Once, her middle school tennis team had made it to the nationals and the entire school had been sent on a field trip to watch. Megumi didn't know much about sports and had spent most of the trip running to the concession stand for extra drinks. Still, that had been a team setting their eyes on the national title, and the vibe they had given off had somehow stuck with her.

It was nothing compared to this.

The entire room gave off a sort of intensity that Megumi didn't know how to describe. It was too much, really, and eventually she had to force herself to let the door close. The sensation stopped, but Megumi had to place a hand on the nearby wall to keep standing, her legs almost shaking.

The sex barrier that prevented Megumi from joining the club didn't even matter. That sort of vibe was something Megumi would never be able to stand being around, let alone give off. In simple words, when it came to joining the same club as Akashi…

 _That's definitely out of the question._

* * *

It has come to my attention that I didn't actually post this when I said I would. it's been uploaded and edited, but not posted. Wonder how that happened.

Thanks to SilverSapphire34523, Twilight Dark Angel, bluexfire2, aniqa1234, Perempuan Penburu Bintang, mute-by-choice, stunningkrystal, Knbfan (Guest), and Kokoro-chizu chan, Bluegirl (guest), woofbot, YatohgamiKushina, and klockwork mirrorecho for your favorites, follows, and reviews! I'm glad to see this story get support since it's very dear to me. Again, sorry for the update confusion! I look forward to hearing from you guys again. :)

Review reply for **Knbfan** : I'm glad to hear Megumi's captured your interest! She's very important to me, and it's come a long way to this story's conception to its actualization! I hope you enjoy the rest of the journey.

And for **Bluegirl** : Glad to hear you're enjoying it. I always try my best to keep improving my skills. I hope you enjoy the rest of the story

Much like _Visibility_ , this story has a rather slow introduction. But each step of Megumi's journey is important and I hope you guys can stick by and support her til the end.

The next chapter will release September 16. Please look forward to it!

* * *

3—Within Proximity

Sometimes, in the presence of night, the world doesn't look so different.

[POST] 082415


	3. 3—Within Proximity

**Reliability**

By: Aviantei

3—Within Proximity

* * *

 _Sometimes, in the presence of night, the world doesn't look so different._

* * *

In the end, it wasn't just the Rakuzan High School Basketball Club that proved to be impossible to join. Not sure what else to do, Megumi wandered about the more than substantial sports area, looking at the others. At the time, her thoughts were considering if joining a sports club could possibly give her a starting point in conversation with Akashi. However, just looking at the other clubs from afar brought her to the same sort of conclusion.

None of the other sports teams could generate the same level of intensity that the basketball club had done, or at least Megumi had already adapted to what being in that sort of presence was like. Still, each of the clubs gave off their own competitive vibe that Megumi knew she couldn't stand being a part of, mainly because her own competitive endeavors were few and far between.

It didn't help that she knew almost nothing about how to participate in sports. Even being ranked as one of the lowest members, Megumi knew she probably couldn't take any level of intensity of training, and trying to match up with her peers would only result in exhaustion, which would make her grades drop as a result. As it was, the issue of joining a sports club was closed on that day, leaving Megumi to walk home without the smallest inclination of what she was going to do about Yamada-sensei's challenge.

"I mean, I guess it's good that I at least decided what I'm _not_ going to do, but that doesn't help much," she muttered, paying more attention to the orange tinted sky than the sidewalk. "I still don't know what I'm going to do, plus how can I even talk to any club members? Ahh, Akashi was a total jerk but I at least could work up the courage to talk to him. What am I gonna do…?"

It was simple, even if Megumi hated the conclusion. Taking a deep breath, Megumi resigned herself to the fact that making friends with Akashi just wasn't realistically obtainable.

* * *

The next day wasn't filled with much progress, either. Megumi had to reset her resolve several times throughout the evening and school day as she headed towards the cultural clubs' building on the other end of the school. She did her best to walk past rooms without looking too interested, making her way through the first floor. With each listed activity—literary club, calligraphy club, computer research society—Megumi remembered why she hadn't really joined any clubs, even back in elementary school.

It was more than the thought of interacting with other people, which she could get over with if she tried, or at least the minimum amount required for standard interaction. As it was, Megumi hadn't developed any special talents or interests, usually just studying or doing the things her family members were interested in. By the time she made it to high school, Megumi had come to the conclusion that the only thing she could do well was analyze patterns in information and make conclusions with them—a good critical thinking skill that worked for homework and tests, but not much else.

 _Well, it_ is _the sort of skill that can be applied to almost anything, but it doesn't help much if you don't have an idea to apply it to. If I even had the slightest form of an interest, this would be a lot easier, but I really don't know…_

Megumi took her time to go up the stairs before making it to the second floor. She didn't want to rush, but she definitely wanted this to be over with. As such, she took a neutral pace between too fast and too slow and walked down the hall, pausing to read the signs outside of each of the club room's, hoping that something might sound the tiniest bit interesting.

Nothing did, though. Megumi's curiosity was almost dampened, and even if something did spark, it definitely wouldn't catch. It had never occurred to her before, but now that she was face to face with it, it was obvious that Megumi had probably intentionally kept herself from forming interests of her own because she wouldn't have known what to do with them.

Megumi stopped walking and closed her eyes. _I need to get over this. Anything's fine, as long as it's something. I can always change my mind later. Just as long as there's something I can stay out of Yamada-sensei's office and maybe even find something I like. But if I don't try, I won't even know._

 _Come on, Megumi, get it together!_

"Hey, are you interested in the Go Club?"

Megumi jumped, her palm slapping against a nearby window in an attempt to steady herself. Now standing in front of her was a girl that hadn't been there before, dark hair spilling over her shoulders. Megumi managed to catch herself before she started stuttering, nothing escaping her mouth.

She should have expected this to happen. Part of her had been prepared for it. Walking around the vicinity of clubs without an aim would produce the conclusion that one was looking for a club, either to join or to find someone else. The fact that this girl had concluded the former made Megumi wonder if she happened to project a vibe that signaled she didn't have any friends.

 _If so, then I'm more depressing than I thought…_

"Oh, am I wrong?" the girl asked. "You were just standing outside for a while, so I just thought…" The girl's eyebrows drooped, giving a sad slant to her eyes. Megumi hadn't found the right words to say yet. There was something about suddenly being interrupted from her personal world that made interacting with the outside one much more difficult. "Oh, sorry, are you shy? I can introduce you if you like."

"No!" Megumi protested. Things were moving too fast. Even if this was the end goal, she needed to stall for time to get her thoughts straight. The girl tilted her head in confusion. "Ah, that is, the only strategy based game I know the rules to Shogi, so…"

Megumi had hoped that would be enough to dislodge the Go girl's interest, but in the end the latter's eyes lit up with even more recognition before. It was the sort of expression that showed that an idea was brewing behind the surface and in one's thoughts, and Megumi flinched back a bit.

"I can introduce you to the Shogi Club, then!" the Go girl announced with the same amount of enthusiasm as before. Megumi's inner panic only intensified, preventing her from opening her mouth. The last thing she wanted to do was play Shogi with other people, especially if they had something even close to the same competitive atmosphere as the sports clubs had.

 _And who the hell just goes ahead and assumes that because someone knows the rules they want to join?!_

Megumi would have given anything to be able to refuse. However, the same sort of force keeping her mouth shut prevented her from even shaking her head. At this rate, she was going to end up joining the Shogi Club whether she liked it or not, and while that would effectively complete her end of the deal with Yamada-sensei, Megumi was certain she'd be better off dead.

"Okay, just gimme a minute and I'll get someone," the Go girl continued, turning and walking down the hallway at an even pace. She cupped one of her hands around her mouth, forming an impromptu megaphone with her fingers. "Oi! Kenta, come here!"

Megumi managed a sharp intake of breath, a shudder running down from her shoulders. At this rate, she was going to have the whole hallway staring at her, then she wouldn't even be able to work up the courage to join any of the cultural clubs out of fear for passing other students and getting recognized for making a scene. The whole scenario was too much.

So Megumi turned and ran.

It hadn't been an intentional act, but by the time Megumi had made it to the bottom of the stairs, she kept it up. She tightened her grip on her school bag and ran for it, gathering more than a few stares of students straggling about the entrance and courtyard. She didn't care anymore. She just needed to get out of there.

She kept running until she tripped on an uneven part of the sidewalk, scraping her hand against the concrete. It wasn't too bad, but it was enough to break her concentration, and Megumi came to a stop, staring at the small amount of blood on her palm. None of it trickled, just stayed in stagnant place, barely bothering to even move outside of her skin. Scowling, Megumi closed her palm into a fist, the resulting sting barely registering.

"…That was pathetic."

* * *

The following day Megumi entered the club building with bandages wrapped around one hand, her bag in the other, and headed straight for the top floor. It would probably be at least a week before she could go back to the second floor without getting dragged back into the Shogi/Go recruitment efforts, and by then it would be past the deadline.

Really, it was better to just play it safe.

Walking through the other available floors, though, Megumi couldn't find anything to do. In the end, each club seemed to be absolutely serious about their activities, like it was a passion for them even if was something simple. For someone like Megumi to join out of an outside obligation other than a genuine interest would only be disrespectful to those who were giving it their all. No matter what sort of consequences she would endure in Yamada-sensei's presence, Megumi just couldn't do it.

She walked home that day, slower than usual. Beforehand, her thoughts had always been of things like what she would eat to dinner, what chores needed to be taken care of, and how she was going to tackle her homework assignments that evening. She hadn't had much need for anything else in her life in middle school, and moving really hadn't changed much.

 _Man, how come I can't do anything? You would think that after fifteen years I would at least know what I want to do. I don't even know if I want to make friends anymore. I know I_ should _, but that doesn't mean I want to. In fact, I don't think I want anything anymore._

 _Would crying help? I don't feel like I need to, but it's really all I can think of…_

It was a stupid idea and Megumi knew it. At this point, though, she didn't know what else to do. She tried to think of things that had made her cry before, but it didn't happen. The last time she had cried was near the end of middle school. Already, there was enough difference between the Kaizuto Megumi of then and the one in the present that such a chasm had formed in her feelings.

 _So then why do I feel like I haven't gotten anywhere at all?_

* * *

Megumi went directly home the next two days, and spent Sunday eating the leftovers from an excess of groceries purchased the previous afternoon. She normally took every precaution to make every last yen count when budgeting, but she had gone a bit overboard. While what little allowance her mother sent her could easily cover living expenses, it didn't do much else. And since Megumi didn't have any interests outside of her schoolwork, this hadn't been much of a problem.

Sunday evening, though, she desperately wished she had something else to do. It was too early to go to bed without disrupting her sleeping patterns, and she had completed all of her homework. Her cellphone was an outdated model without any games, and she didn't have any friends she could contact with conversation.

To make matters worse, the next day was Monday.

Megumi leaned onto her table, head propped up on her arms, and stared out the window. "What do I do?" she said. "Tomorrow's the deadline and I haven't even come close to getting into a club. The only person I talked to was Gobu-san, and then I ran away from her. At this rate, Yamada-sensei better just tell the school board to kick me out because I'm useless."

The sky outside was between the last traces of orange and dark blue before blackness. Megumi couldn't see much of it from her low-level apartment, but she could see enough to talk to. There weren't any clouds out, either, and Megumi tried to make herself relax.

The tension she had been carrying for almost a week didn't so much as budge in the amount of pressure it was applying her shoulders.

"I know, I know." Everything Megumi was saying was a contradiction to what she had wanted to do, but that was always the kind of person she had been. "But I can't even keep up the standards I wanted for myself. They weren't anything big, either. I won't say that moving was a mistake but it definitely wasn't anything useful. The place is different, but I'm still the same old piece of trash."

 _You're not even worth wasting time on._

Megumi laughed, burying her eyes into her sleeves. She didn't have an urge to cry, but she didn't have the urge to smile, either. Her laugh was completely neutral, not working for or against her. It just was, almost as empty as the way Megumi felt, except her own existence was definitely more towards the negative spectrum.

"Hey, do you think Akashi ever had a problem with figuring out what he wanted to do?" Megumi said, sitting back up. She could see the beginnings of her reflection in the window pane, fuzzy and without real definition. "I doubt he did. I bet he just glanced at the world and said 'This is what I'm going to do' and he tried out for the basketball club with no trouble at all and managed to make it in with skill and passion."

The sky only got darker by the minute. Megumi wanted to fall over, to lie there without a care. She wanted to go to the school rooftop and press her back against the concrete and see nothing but blues and oranges and watch until there was nothing but black and light poisoning erased stars. She wanted the moon to not exist and let the sky speak for itself. She settled for her linoleum floor and closed her eyes to avoid staring into the room's singular light bulb.

"I wanna be like that," she muttered. It wasn't the first time she had thought such things, but it was the first time she had had the courage to say it out loud. "I wanna know. I wanna stand up. I wanna be able to stare at something and be able to know that it's what I want and I wanna run for it."

It was nothing more than a simple dream, but it was all that Megumi really had. Until this point in her life, there hadn't been anything else for her. She could only work for finding something to work for, no matter how pathetic that made her.

 _I'm not gonna get anything done at this rate._ Megumi stood up and pushed her table to the side of the room, trading it out for her futon. Once the blankets were laid out, the girl turned out the light and lied down on her side, hands working on pulling out her ponytail and securing the band around her wrist.

The ambient light from the streets trickled in to Megumi's window, the sunset completely faded by now. Still, she stared at the sky, not even bothering to close her eyes. She probably couldn't sleep as she tried, so there wasn't any point. There was just less of a point in wasting electricity and pretending like she was going to accomplish something within a few hours.

"Alright, no giving up…" she agreed, just barely managing to let her voice out. "If I give up, it's really all over. Even if I end up getting put through the ringer by Yamada-sensei, I gotta go for it. There's just one more day, so I should be able to find a club to take me in…"

Megumi wasn't sure just where she would go, so that made it harder to plan out. Still, it was something. She tried to separate out what clubs would have opportunities and which one she knew she wouldn't stand a chance in. It was difficult because she didn't have as much data as she would have liked to have collected, but that was her own fault. She could make necessary adjustments as needed tomorrow. Now, she just needed the courage to go and do it.

 _Excuse me, I was interested in joining your club._ The words became a mantra, repeating as she considered other questions to be ready for. She prepared their answers, and imagined herself saying them. The visual would be reality if she just pushed herself a bit, and then, maybe, she could be a bit closer to leaving the shadow of her old self behind.

As she settled into the familiar patterns of evaluating information, Megumi finally felt more relaxed. It would take a lot of effort on her part, but it was still possible. She was perfectly willing to do whatever it took to make her world change, no matter how slowly progress would end up being. That was the kind of life that Kaizuto Megumi had chosen. However, amidst her usual patterns of thoughts were two elements, not serving as distractions, but more so as influences, one of them being the resonance of the basketball club.

The other one was the not completely abandoned thought of Akashi.

* * *

Hooray for properly timed updates! (What is time management anyways? I seriously don't know.)

Thanks to Dante96 and Cosmic Colors for your follows! I seriously appreciate it, and I hope you enjoy the update!

Well, I think this chapter covers the basic exposition for the story. Things will start rolling next chapter!

...even though I don't know the release date of it yet. Still, I hope you look forward to it!

* * *

4—Gymnasium

 _The sun, without any hindrance, shines down even here sometimes_

[POST] 091615


	4. 4—Gymnasium

**Reliability**

By: Aviantei

4—Gymnasium

* * *

 _The sun, without any hindrance, shines down even here sometimes._

* * *

Megumi arrived at school early, and used the time she had to scribble out a vague attack plan on the back of a page of incomplete notes from her history class, useless due to the fact that Megumi had ignored that particular lesson in favor of trying to remember how to speak to strangers. It didn't matter what club she ended up in. It didn't matter if she wasn't as passionate as the others. All that mattered was that joining a club was a chance to change herself, plus it had the added bonus of not having to talk to Yamada-sensei again.

She hoped that Yamada would give her until the end of the day, and hold off on talking to Megumi until Tuesday. The counselor _had_ said a week after all, though sometimes people meant different things using the same words. Megumi defined _a week_ as the Tuesday following her initial conversation with Yamada, which had also been a Tuesday. Other people could have defined _a week_ as the seventh day from that Tuesday, meaning Monday. If the latter was the case, Megumi would just have to plead her case.

It wasn't like she could do anything until after school, anyway. She had no idea who in her class was in a club other than Akashi.

 _Still, I feel like I'm drawn to the basketball club. Joining would have been nice…_

Megumi lightly hit her palms against her cheeks once, dislodging the thought. Joining up with the Rakuzan High School Basketball Club was an impossible feat for someone like her. That was the end of it. She was a girl, and the team was made of boys. Even if there was a girls' basketball club here—which Megumi supposed was completely possible; she had never checked—she just didn't have the athletic ability for it.

She forced herself to focus on the plan in front of her. She would have to settle for a culture club, and she had compiled a list of the ones least likely to get involved in any competition—which eliminated _both_ the Go and Shogi clubs if Megumi happened to run into the Go girl in the halls. She had been preparing herself since the previous night. Doing this _was_ possible.

Megumi inhaled and exhaled, then opened up her notebook to the material for her first class.

* * *

Lunchtime rolled around, and Megumi sat for a few minutes in her seat without moving. She still had leftovers from the weekend, and so had been able to bring a lunch for herself today. On the off chance that Yamada-sensei did call her to the office, Megumi didn't feel like hauling her bento down from the rooftop, especially not half-eaten. It was better to wait, and after a few minutes, Megumi was convinced she was in the clear. She pulled her bento from her bag and stood up, the legs of her chair scraping against the tile.

"Oh, so you guys are heading out to a practice meet this weekend? That's super exciting."

"Haha, I guess. It'd be a lot more fun if our manager wasn't breathing down our backs about getting enough rest and being prepared. I swear, she's worse than our coach!"

It wasn't something Megumi was meant to hear, and she had never been one to eavesdrop, either. It was like some part of her classmates' words had triggered a reaction in her, which had prompted her to listen instead of just tuning them out. A part of Megumi was proud that she had expanded on her world, just a little bit, but the other part of her was too focused on latching onto something else.

 _A manager._

Megumi tightened her fingers around the bag holding her bento and thermos, then ran out of the classroom. She almost tripped on her desk, and had definitely left some whispers in her wake, but she didn't care. She wasn't exactly sure what she was doing, but Megumi headed down the stairs and towards the sports complex. She stopped in front of the gymnasium doors, the parallel bench letting her know she was in the right place.

The handle turned, and the door opened without any problems. Without its team inside, the gymnasium was silent. For whatever reason, the lights were still on, and Megumi could see the floor sparkle as if it were freshly cleaned. In this place where even stairwells were kept in peak condition, it only stood to reason that the gyms that were provided for their national-level sports teams would be just as, if not more, immaculate.

Megumi shouldn't have felt like she belonged here. She was the exact opposite of an athlete, and the vibe that the basketball club gave off was something she could barely stand in the presence of. Still, the empty gymnasium almost felt like a home to her. Really, the only thing the roof had that the gym didn't was a view of the sky.

Megumi walked to the center of the painted lines in the middle of the court. She looked straight up at the ceiling, just barely catching the walls in her peripheral vision. As expected, it was huge. Megumi stared for a few minutes before sitting down, retrieving her bento.

 _I get the feeling that I shouldn't be doing this… Which one's more likely to get me into trouble? Eating lunch on the roof or eating lunch in one of the gyms? If they really didn't want people to do it, the school would just put up signs or make rules or something. Then again, in this case, maybe they just didn't think of it?_

Megumi pressed the ends of her chopsticks against her lower lip, thinking. This was something she probably shouldn't make a habit of, but every now and then, it would be okay. Besides, some people maybe even used their lunch period to practice. She didn't need to interfere with that.

"Still, this place is really nice."

"Can I help you with something?" a voice called. Megumi let out a shriek, almost spilling her lunch onto the shining gym floor. While such an incident didn't really occur, her heart rate didn't slow down in the slightest. Scrambling, Megumi rushed to pack up her lunch, the lid not completely secure on her bento before being shoved back into the bag.

"I'm sorry!" she apologized as she stood up. Bowing deeply in the direction of the voice, Megumi wondered just how much trouble she would be in now. What if she ended up having to do extra classroom duty and ended up missing her chance to join a club by the deadline?! Megumi did her best to take even breaths as she straightened her back out, hoping to prevent hyperventilation.

In the time it had taken her to ready herself, the owner of the voice had already crossed the gym floor, Megumi having been too caught up mentally to even notice any footsteps. He was a close to middle-aged man with dark hair slicked back. He didn't seem angry, either, but Megumi didn't let her guard down. It was always the people who seemed the calmest that had more volatile tempers, and she didn't need to set him off while her nerves were like this.

"I'm sorry," she repeated, quieter, "I just…" She just what? Wanted to get away? Wanted to pretend that she belonged somewhere? Megumi was tired of eating lunch alone in the classroom or on the roof, even if trying to join someone else's clique terrified her. She wanted to have friends and be normal and not be so scared to do something as simple as join a club.

She wanted to be confident in herself, enough that she could conduct herself in the same sort of manner that Akashi had in that stairwell.

"I was hoping…to join the basketball club as its manager," she admitted out loud. There was no point in saying it other than Megumi had needed to admit it to herself. The man she was speaking to right now most likely didn't have any influence over such things anyway.

"Is that so?" he asked, his tone completely neutral. Megumi nodded, feeling like she could burst into tears at any second. Her eyes were dry, but there was a weight in her stomach, not enough to stop her from moving, but enough that she couldn't ignore its presence and carry on. After a contemplative silence, the man continued, "I am Shirogane Eiji, the coach of the basketball club. What is your name?"

Megumi flinched a bit, but restricted the movement. If she actually jumped, there was no guarantee she would remain in her skin. "I'm Kaizuto Megumi, from Class 1-A," she managed without stuttering.

"Ah, so you're the girl that Yamada mentioned." Megumi felt a mix of embarrassment and guilt. It would make sense for the guidance counselor to inform those in charge of clubs to the situation, but it was still an unnecessary burden to all but the one in charge of whichever club she was able to join. Still, she nodded, not knowing if words were necessary or what she would even say if she tried. "As it is, the basketball club already has a manager," Shirogane said.

Megumi should have expected as much. Just like everything else here, the Rakuzan Basketball Club was perfect, so they would already have all the members they would need. And, like she had concluded before, since she couldn't join as a player, that was the end of it. At this point, she would have to go back to her original plan of scouting the culture clubs after classes and praying they were accepting new members.

What Megumi hadn't expected was the disappointment she would feel as the result. Somehow, a part of her hadn't given up hope, despite all of her logic telling her to let it go.

 _And I was so sure I was prepared for this…!_

"I understand," she said, her voice shaking. Megumi swallowed, hoping to erase the tremor. "Thank you for letting me know. I'll be heading back…" She stopped. Heading back where? Definitely not to the classroom. "I'll be leaving now."

Megumi turned back to the entrance, clutching her bag of lunch against her chest. "Wait," Shirogane said. It was nothing like the way Akashi had talked, but there was still a definitive sense of command in his words, even if it was cushioned by the small amount of kindness. Instinctively, Megumi obeyed, looking back over her shoulder. "While it is true that the position is filled, we are a large club with more members than it is reasonable to expect one person to handle on their own. Given your circumstances, I would say that you could work as an assistant manager, if that's acceptable to what you were aiming for."

It had to be a joke. It just had to be, because it was too good to be true. A stroke of luck. A way in. A blessing of good fortune. Combining this along with her acceptance into Rakuzan, Megumi had certainly used up most of her good luck for the rest of her life.

 _So then I just have to put in more genuine effort from now on. That's all it means, right?_

Shakily nodding, Megumi said, "I'd really appreciate it."

"In that case, I welcome you to the team," Shirogane said, his syllables clipped short with professionalism. "Practice is on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. You will be expected to report on time with the exceptions of classroom duties, illness, and family issues, although you must inform myself, the captain, or your senior manager beforehand. You are also required to attend all games the team participates in. Is that understood?"

As expected, a strict set of circumstances. Still, that was how things were run in a place like this. Clenching her fists around the handle of her bag of lunch, Megumi made sure she didn't hold back.

"Yes, sir!"

"Very well," Shirogane said, and Megumi dared to hope she had heard something like approval in his voice this time. "I'll go and get you a club entry form for you to turn in, and then I'll see you after school tomorrow." Not even giving the girl a chance to respond, the coach turned back around and headed to what Megumi guessed was his office.

 _That…that just happened. That really happened…!_

It took the sound of the door Shirogane had left through closing for Megumi to breathe properly again. With her newfound air, she let out a happy laugh, throwing her arms into the air. "I did it!" she shouted.

Still letting out giggles, Megumi sat back down in the middle of the gym floor before her legs actually did collapse underneath her.

* * *

"My name is Kaizuto Megumi from Class 1-A. I will be your assistant manager, so please come to me with anything that you may need. Let's work hard together from now on!"

And, bow. Behind her bangs, Megumi allowed herself a small smile as the voices of the Rakuzan High School Basketball Club members echoed the last of her words in response. She had practiced the introduction—several times out loud at home the night before, almost every second internally throughout the school day—and it had come out well. Finally standing, Megumi met their gaze, only to avert her eyes a second later.

 _Ah, there's so many of them. Plus they're just as intense as I remember, if not more! Still, I said I would do this, so I can't back down now. I may not know exactly what I'm doing yet, but I'm not going to give up just because I'm scared._

Because she had decided that this was a place that she wanted to belong, no matter what.

"Alright, Akashi, Mibuchi, and Higuchi, stay up here for a few minutes. The rest of you, do your warm-up exercises until ordered otherwise," Shirogane said. No one moved a muscle until he blew a short note on his whistle, and then the room was filled with noise and activity within seconds.

They were nothing less than a well-oiled machine, or even something that surpassed that. Megumi forced herself to look away. If this was going to be a part of her life from now on, she couldn't stare in awe all the time.

"Okay, you three, this goes without saying, but as Kaizuto has joined this team, she is to be treated like every other member," Shirogane continued, and Megumi turned her focus to the trio of boys that had stayed behind. There was a boy a bit taller than her with light brown hair, a taller one that towered over even the coach with his black hair meeting his shoulders, and, somehow managing to look regal in even a sweatshirt and shorts, Akashi. "Higuchi, since she's working under you, you will take the majority of the responsibility for her training. However, as Captain and Vice-Captain, I expect you to play your parts as well, is that understood?"

" _Yes, sir,_ " the three boys chorused as Megumi felt herself reeling from a different feeling of overwhelming than before. _Captain and Vice-Captain?_ All this time she had been thinking that Akashi would be somewhat of her equal, but he was really that much above her? And as a first year at that?

"In that case, I'll give you a few minutes to get acquainted. Just remember that the Inter-High finals are soon. You all may have gained a new responsibility, but anything other than victory should not be a possibility to any of you." Shirogane matched gazes with each of the boys for a second, his eyes coming to a rest once they landed on Megumi. Not sure of what else to do, she nodded. "After you're done here, resume club duties as normal," the coach concluded before walking off to where a group of boys was engaged in sprints across the gym floor.

The brown-haired boy was the first to speak up. "You already introduced yourself, so there's no need to repeat it," he said, "so I'll go first. I am Higuchi Shota, Class 3-A, the club's manager. You'll be working close to me until you get the hang of things, but it will be better if you pick up things quickly so we can be more efficient. I look forward to working with you." He almost sounded like he was reciting things out of a text book, ducking his head in a short bow before straightening.

"Mibuchi Reo," the black haired boy said, sounding bored. He wasn't even looking at her, either. "Class 2-A, Vice-Captain."

Megumi stopped feeling offended and instead settled on shock. There was no sense being upset by it when the world wasn't going to take things easy on her just because she had decided to join a club. If Mibuchi didn't like her, that was it. However, there was something more important for Megumi to focus on at the moment, the pieces sliding together inside her mind.

"Akashi Seijuro, Class 1-A," the redhead said, an unreadable expression on his features as he looked Megumi in the eye. Out of habit, she tried to look away, but realized she couldn't. "I am the club's captain. I am also absolute. Victory is a given, but I will not tolerate any potential interference to that end. If your performance isn't satisfactory, I will have you removed from this club, despite your circumstances. Is that understood, Megumi?"

For the first time, he was properly speaking to her. That had been the sort of thing Megumi had been aiming for, but it hardly even felt like he was acknowledging her, even with the use of her given name. The referral held no intimacy or disrespect to it, just like it as natural for Akashi Seijuro to refer to her in such a way.

Even more so, it was a warning. It felt like a threat. Somehow, he already knew about the reasons for Megumi's admittance into the club as well. That meant he knew what sort of situation she would be in if she were kicked out, and he didn't care since it was a means of assuring his victory.

Higuchi and Mibuchi didn't even seem to blink, meaning that they were used to this sort of behavior.

 _I think I've gotten way in over my head._

Still, Megumi realized what it was that she wanted to do, and she didn't want to lose it. Willing all of her confidence to come forward, she imbued it into her next words.

"I will try my best, Captain."

* * *

[NOTES] Here we are, one more new chapter. I'm trying to alternate between work on my novel and fanfiction, so hopefully things will be going smoothly from here on out!

I would like to give my thanks to ovellyta2, Doujin-Maker, Dotty MacGuffin, MISCharacter, NightmareMelodies, , The-Awesome-person22, SilverSapphire34523, Alexandrite Fate Chan, MikoSasesko, TheJesterCard, Shiranai Atsune, patamon62, zerorin05, Lani0108, bookworn2468, and 69AnimeFreak69 for your favorites, follows, and reviews! Everyone means a whole lot to me, and I hope you enjoyed the update. I hope that I can share more of these with you in the future!

I'm trying to slowly give Megumi a chance at things, but that doesn't mean everything will go smoothly. Still, she's made a bit of progress-where will things go from here for her? Stay tuned to find out.

I'm thinking of hopefully getting up chapter five as my next update, so that should be soon. However, if you want, my **[Twelve Shots of Summer: Trinity Limit]** anthology is updating weekly on Saturdays as I explore _KagePro's_ Kano Shuuya and his lovely relationships. If you're out and about and happen to find the [Twelve Shots of Summer], [Twelve Shots of Summer: Second Raid], or [Twelve Shots of Summer: Trinity Limit] tags in the description, I would recommend checking it out. All the authors in the challenge are guaranteed to give good reads. And, hey, if you're up for a challenge yourself, consider joining us over at the forum!

* * *

5—Within Proximity II

 _This breeze, carrying the ends of spring, feels as if it belongs to somewhere distant._

[POST] 061516


	5. 5—Within Proximity II

**Reliability**

By: Aviantei

5—Within Proximity II

* * *

 _This breeze, carrying the ends of spring, feels as if it belongs to somewhere distant._

* * *

The first day, Megumi didn't do much other than play gopher. Higuchi gave her a few pointers to start off with—pointing out which gyms belonged to which string, giving her a verbal list of the upcoming matches that the club was going to participate in (she managed to memorize at least half of them, at the very least), and, finally, that it didn't matter what anyone else did, if Akashi Seijuro ordered something, it would be in her best interest to obey. After that, Higuchi left to talk to Shirogane, leaving Megumi with the instruction to check up on and restock the water bottle and towel supply for the rest of practice.

It was boring work, but Megumi could handle it. Given that the idea of joining the Basketball Club had only been a wistful daydream to start out with, she didn't have any expectations, other than being in the same club as Akashi. It was also work that didn't take much brain power, so she could think about other things as she did it.

 _I guess I don't know much about sports hierarchy, but isn't having a first year as captain very unusual? I mean, wouldn't they pick the captain before the year even ends? How'd he manage to do that?_

It was a question Megumi couldn't get a concrete answer to without asking, but she still thought she knew.

 _If Akashi-kun is the type of person I think he is…he really wouldn't take no for an answer._

Since there were so many club members split up between three gyms, Megumi had worked up her own sweat after the few hours for practice were up. The club members slowly dispersed, but Higuchi held her back, tossing a towel in her direction.

"You should probably start bringing an extra set of clothes," he said, gathering up the towels into laundry bags. The club had enough money to send them off to Laundromats with every practice, so it wasn't like getting them clean in time would be a problem. "At least change into your gym clothes." Megumi nodded. "Practice on Thursday. Don't forget."

And Higuchi slung the bag of towels over his shoulder, leaving Megumi with the final cluster of water bottles to be set in the storage room.

* * *

Megumi waited until the foot traffic of other students finishing their club activities thinned out before heading home herself. It was such a habit at that point that she didn't even consider asking someone to walk with her. There was no guarantee that anyone in the Basketball Club lived in the same area as her, but someone probably went to the same station she did, maybe even rode the same train. She didn't know anyone well enough yet to be comfortable asking, and it was too late to do so anyway.

She walked alone.

It wasn't too much of a bother since she had gotten used to it. Still, she wasn't so used to walking home this far into the evening, even as other club-goers wandered their way out of the school as well. It was strange to think this would be her new routine.

Megumi actually giggled to herself. _A new routine._ Something different. She had come to Rakuzan to change, and she had somehow actually managed to make progress.

 _Maybe I'm not so hopeless after all._

* * *

Her newfound confidence managed to follow through to the next day, which was an additional miracle in itself. Though partially distracted by Akashi's presence in front of her, he seemed to have little to no interest in the fact that his new team manager had a seat behind him, which made it a bit easier to focus on classes. Knowing that now having a club wouldn't be considered an excuse for her grades slipping, Megumi managed to take to her lessons diligently.

Lunchtime rolled around, and Akashi disappeared before Megumi could even begin to contemplate asking to each lunch with him. When several minutes passed without the boy returning, she concluded that he had gone to the cafeteria and unpacked her bento across her desk. With a dismissive attitude like that, there was no guarantee Akashi would let her sit with him, and even if he would, spending that much time in the cafeteria went a bit beyond even her new threshold.

This time, no fragments of conversation caught her ear, which was just fine. Eavesdropping wasn't a habit she intended to make a habit of. Instead, she focused her thoughts on the Basketball Club. Even though she had gained a position as manager, Megumi wasn't sure what all she would be doing. Obviously Higuchi had let her handle minor errands, but there had to be something more she could do…

With a start, Megumi realized she actually had no idea how a club functioned, her chopsticks slipping and dropping a cluster of vegetables back into her bento. In elementary school it had been easier on her mother to just go home all the time, and by the time middle school had rolled around, it was out of the question. The Rakuzan Basketball Club was actually her first experience of the sort.

 _I really am the worst, huh?_ Megumi clutched her chopsticks together, forgetting that she was supposed to be eating. _Man, Yamada-sensei sure did a number on me. Making me think I had a chance at this._

She wasn't sure how long she stared into space, but it had to have been at least a couple minutes before Megumi blinked, bringing her lunch into focus. It was too late to back out of this now. Shirogane had already taken her club application, and Higuchi had pretty much implied that if Megumi missed out on Thursday, she was through. No matter how hard it was, she couldn't afford to screw this up.

 _Then I just need to look into it so I don't make a complete fool of myself on Thursday. I guess I could try and research clubs, but that doesn't seem like a very effective source._ Megumi stopped chewing on her lip, trying to preoccupy her teeth with a mouthful of rice. School clubs were supposed to be common knowledge; why would there even be a book on them? _No, talking to someone is definitely the best shot._

But Akashi wouldn't even do much as glance in her direction. _And Mibuchi-senpai definitely doesn't like me. And Higuchi-senpai is probably too busy with university prep to even think about wasting his Wednesday on me._ There wasn't anyone else to turn to, not when she didn't have any prior connections.

 _No, that's wrong._

Megumi audibly groaned, biting into the tips of her chopsticks. There was someone she had spoken to, someone that could probably help. Even if there was a difference between a culture and a sports club, the concept would still be the same. And Megumi had no right to back out, not when she had promised to do her best.

 _Gobu-chan it is._

* * *

A bundle of anxiety started to form in Megumi's stomach as she approached the cultural club building, and she had to take a few moments to stare at the sky and remember to breathe. She hadn't seen a cloud all day, and the bright blue calmed her frazzled nerves. Once the pressure started to ease out from her abdomen, Megumi clenched her fist and marched directly up the stairs to the second floor.

She still felt a bit dizzy, but managed to find the Go Club's room, door shut tight. Inside was the light chatter of students, and the open hall windows let in a faint breeze. At the rate the weather was going, it wouldn't be long before they were allowed into their summer uniforms. For once, Megumi wouldn't have to make up excuses for still wearing long sleeves.

Anxiety kicked back in, nearly sending bile up Megumi's throat. She slapped one hand to her mouth, the other to the door for balance, desperately looking back out the window. Most of the view was taken up by the other end of the clubs building, but a sliver of sky was visible. _Come on, come on, come_ on _,_ she implored herself. _Don't do this now, not when you're so close._

"Um, hey, you feeling alright?" Megumi snapped to attention, her legs shaking under the sudden trust of her body weight. Again, the urge to run was strong, but Megumi didn't think she'd make it down the stairs without incident. In front of her was the Go Club member from the other day, hair pulled back into braids and a bag of vending machine drinks at her side. "Oh, you're the girl from last week…!"

Dread and embarrassment blended together, and Megumi had to lean back on the wall to stay steady. Of course she would be recognizable after all that. "Sorry…I didn't mean to be in the way," she managed to breathe out, still not able to process air properly. "And last week I…"

"No worries," Gobu interrupted, flapping her free hand, almost like she was shooing away a fly. "I've got a cousin who goes through a lot of similar stuff." She put on a smile, and it somehow managed to come across as reassuring. "I'm guessing you're here to talk? Do you want to go outside? Or an empty room?" Megumi shook her head. "Wherever you're comfortable, okay?"

Megumi took a few more breaths, trying to move her gaze from the floor. She wasn't able to achieve eye contact, but came close enough. "I joined the Basketball Club yesterday," she said, reminding herself it was okay to feel proud at the accomplishment. "I've actually just…never been in a club before and wasn't sure what to expect." She couldn't find the right words to explain why she was asking a practical stranger for advice, but Gobu didn't seem to mind.

"The Basketball Club, huh?" the other girl mused, braid in hand, the tip brushing over her lips. "Well, I stopped doing sports a while ago, but if you want to talk about clubs, I can kind of help with that. Just gimme a sec." She turned, walking towards Megumi, but ended up opening the door instead. "Hey, I got a friend who needs help. Here's your drinks!"

There was a muffled chorus of responses, and Megumi wrung her hands together. The word friend didn't register until Gobu was back in the hallway, offering out several drink cartons. "I bought plenty, so you're free to have one," she said.

Megumi accepted the fruit milk, her grip finally steady as she twisted off the cap. "Thank you," she said, not sure what else to add. "Um, I really just wasn't sure what I should be doing as a manager, so…"

"Manager, huh?" Gobu grinned, and Megumi mimicked the expression. Considering how last minute things had been, she had done pretty well for herself. "Well, I'm just a regular member, so I don't know how much help I can be. But, wait, first things first!" Gobu dug into her pocket, pulling out a bunch of charms that somehow had a phone attached to the end. "Let's trade email addresses! That way if you think of anything you wanna ask, you can just message me."

"Uh, oh, I—"

"Ah, I guess I should introduce myself first! I'm Yoshida Choukou, from class 1-B! Taurus, blood type also B! I hope he can be good friends…whoops, totally forgot to ask for your name. Sorry 'bout that."

"K-Kaizuto Megumi, 1-A—"

"Whoa, 1-A, that's _super_ cool. And you're in the same grade as me! But, right, this was about your address, you know, if you're ever up for a chat. Or anything. Oh, wait, sorry, this was supposed to be about your club—"

" _Choukou,_ " a voice interrupted, and Megumi wasn't sure whether to feel panicked at the presence of the newcomer, or relieved that the torrent of words had stopped. "Some people are trying to play shogi here, so if you _don't mind._ "

Choukou faked a grimace, sticking out her tongue in the process. "Whoops, busted~."

Exiting the next door over was a boy, shorter than Choukou, and even falling under Megumi's own unimpressive height. That didn't make the glare he tossed in Choukou's direction any less intimidating, even if it was shortly replaced by an exasperated expression. "Sorry about that. My cousin here doesn't know when to shut her mouth."

"No, it's okay," Megumi answered, just to fill the silence. "Um, I'm sorry, but you are…?"

"Oh, this is Kenta," Choukou flawlessly interrupted, earning another glare from her supposed cousin. "He's the guy from the Shogi Club I mentioned before." Even without the reminder, Megumi had remembered the name. "Actually, this guy's the treasurer, so he might be better to tell you about what it's like to be in charge of a club. I'm just a rookie here."

Megumi tilted her head, trying to size up the boy. He looked smaller, but he definitely spoke with a decent amount of authority. Then again, Akashi spoke with a ridiculous amount of authority for a first year, but Kenta didn't give off the same vibe. Actually, Megumi had never met anyone that gave off a vibe quite like Akashi's. "I'm sorry, but you're a senpai, correct?" she managed to ask, realizing after the fact just how poor of a choice her words were.

Choukou's burst into giggles a few moments later only accentuated the fact, and Megumi thought she saw Kenta's neck begin to tint red, and scrambled to apologize: "No, sorry, I really didn't mean to—"

"No worries," Kenta said, his voice only the tiniest bit strained. Choukou continued to snicker, failing to stifle the sound in the slurp off her juice box's straw. "I'm actually kind of used to that by now. I guess I'm not gonna get taller anytime soon." He shrugged, rolling his shoulder in the process. "Though I don't know what sort of help you could need from a lowly treasurer, but I'll do my best." He glanced at his wrist, checking a watch that looked like it was worth more than Megumi's apartment. "Actually, we shouldn't be interrupting meetings like this. I left my partner hanging, you see."

"Bah, you're no good at Shogi anyway," Choukou dismissed. Kenta only sighed. "But he's right, I was in the middle of a pretty good game." She gave an apologetic smile, and Megumi was reminded she was a stranger here. "We can hang out after the meeting if you like. Oh, you know how to play Shogi, right? Maybe you could teach Kenta some proper skills."

Megumi stiffened again, her shoulders refusing to relax even the slightest amount. A group of strangers, and unfamiliar club room, and Shogi. It just wasn't happened. Even the alternative with Go wasn't that favorable. The pair of cousins exchanged glances, Kenta nodding afterwards. It was a sort of family understanding that Megumi could never be a part of.

"Or you could go home and rest," he offered, and Megumi's breath burst of her lungs like water rushing out of a damn. "Do you have time tomorrow, maybe? We could pick up something to eat after school."

"Practice," Megumi breathed, not able to connect any other words to it.

Choukou playfully whacked at Kenta's arm. "She's a basketball manager; she can't just skip out," the girl reprimanded, even though her cousin hadn't been present for that stage of the conversation. "Do you wanna trade mail addresses, though? At the very least you can let us know when you're free. Or just spam this guy with questions." She poked at Kenta's arm with both hands, dangerously close to the area she had just hit.

"No, that's just you," Kenta said, batting Choukou's hands away and stealing her juice box in the process. Choukou pouted but didn't move to reclaim her drink. Kenta took a sip before looking back to Megumi. "I'm serious here: if you ever want _any_ peace of mind, you will not give this one your mail. Trust me."

Choukou rolled her eyes, and Megumi wasn't sure what to think. They were just so relaxed around each other. Further, they hadn't turned any antagonism on her. Maybe cousins were more peaceful than siblings. "Ignore him," Choukou insisted. "Come on, at least take mine in case you ever need anything."

In the end, Megumi left the Culture Clubs building with both of their addresses. Even if it wasn't what she had originally came for, it was still something.

* * *

Megumi's phone had more mails than she had ever seen at once by the time she got home, and that took less than half an hour.

Choukou: Hey there, Megu-chan! (((o(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)o)))  
Choukou: Me-chan? ｢(ﾟﾍﾟ)  
Choukou: Ah, I can't decide! へ[ ᴼ ▃ ᴼ ]_/¯  
Choukou: What do you think? 【・_・?】  
Choukou: Wait, you can totally give me a nickname, too! That'll be awesome! （*´▽｀*）  
Choukou: But, hey, like, we should definitely go out and get some ice cream or something if you wanna after practice tomorrow! (ﾉ´ヮ´)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

"So many," Megumi mumbled, thumb hovering over the keys. Just which part was she supposed to even reply to first? Go in order? Only answer the last one? At least in text, Choukou's torrent of words didn't seem so intimidating. Megumi had never really believed in the blood type theory, but Choukou certainly matched well with hers. While she was trying to think of the correct response, her phone buzzed against her palm.

Kenta: Again, sorry about letting Choukou get to your phone, Sure she's made a mess by now. In any event, I can't reply as quickly, but if you had any questions about your club, I'd be glad to try and answer them. Just hit me up when you can.

Well, that was easier to handle at the very least. Megumi slowly typed out her thanks and an opening question, then set her phone on the table. That would be enough for now. The rest could wait until after dinner.

* * *

[NOTES] Phew! I had the biggest urge to write this chapter the past week, but only was able to get to it last week. He we have a transitiony chapter of sorts, but now we're bringing in the Yoshida cousins! I had a lot of fun developing them (and collecting all the kaomoji for Choukou's texts), so that should cover all the base OCs for the story, save for the few remaining plot ones. From here, things should get rolling I believe, even if the next few chapter layouts are a bit fuzzy.

Thanks to TigerAkemi1, S. T. Adams, JaRMie, kimikokimono, and anon21 (Guest) for your favorites, follows, and reviews. Bonus thanks to all the people who keep flooding my inbox with _Visibility_ notifications! It's thanks to all you guys that I figured I should get out there and write the next update. After all, we can't make it to _Possibility_ without this as the foundation.

Akashi didn't really show up in this chapter, but he's coming. Speaking of Akashi, has everyone caught up with _Extra Game_? That'll be an interesting arc to look at when we get there...

That being said, I've really been excited as the _Kuroko_ manga is releasing in omnibi collections in the States soon! It'll be really great to have a physical copy of the manga, as well as getting to have access to all the omake features throughout. Hm, maybe we'll get an official copy of the anime as well at this rate...?

Well, I've talked enough. The next chapter is dependent on feedback for now, but I will get around to it either way. I love working on Mehgumi, and I hope that I can deliver her arc in complete clarity by the time things really get rolling!

Please look forward to the next update!

[POST] 062916


	6. 6—Within Proximity III

**Reliability**

By: Aviantei

6—Within Proximity III

* * *

 _Even covered in clouds, the sky seems so opaque_

* * *

Megumi's second practice with the Rakuzan Basketball Club went much the same as her first, minus the requirement of a group introduction. She had also brought a change of clothes, which she found herself grateful for. The temperature was steadily creeping upwards, and the activity of several athletic boys working up a sweat only made the gymnasium hotter. Even though Megumi was only running around sports bottles and towels, perspiration still trickled from her hairline straight down her back.

Midway to the empty girls' locker room to change after cleanup, Higuchi stopped her. While not as out of breath as Megumi, sweat glistened across his brow in the fluorescent lights. He lifted up a large, pale blue binder, and Megumi instinctively held out her hands to receive it. Several centimeters thick and nearly full, Megumi almost doubled over from its weight.

The front cover held a piece of paper, the characters in plain black font:

 **Rakuzan Boys' Basketball Club  
Member Roster and Data**

 _I knew there was a lot of them, but I didn't think…_ Not all of the team practiced in the same gym, and Megumi had had difficulty speaking during her introduction, let alone getting an accurate grasp of the crowd in front of her. Based on the size of the binder alone, it wouldn't be out of line to estimate at least one-hundred members in the club.

 _I actually introduced myself to that many people?_ Megumi couldn't tell whether to be dizzy or elated.

"I should have given this to you last time, but I didn't have time to make the copies," Higuchi said, dragging Megumi's attention back into focus. Had he really paid to make this massive booklet by himself? "You're still just beginner, but a manager is much more than a water boy. Yes, it's important, but you need to be able to do absolutely everything you can for your team." He pointed to the volume in Megumi's hands. "It starts with that."

Megumi tightened her grip on the binder, her sweaty palms slipping against the plastic covering. "Alright. What do you need me to do with this?"

"Memorize it."

 _Wh-what already?_

"You can start with the first and second string members." Megumi tried not to make her relief too obvious. "But if you're serious about staying a part of this club for the long run, you are going to have to learn all the members," Higuchi said as if it was only natural. Megumi couldn't really argue with it. And then, without prompting: I agree with Akashi."

"I'm sorry, Senpai?"

Higuchi grimaced a little, actually avoiding eye contact for a moment. As someone who often said things that they regretted, Megumi knew exactly what he was feeling. "Listen, I'm not saying this to be rude." Megumi clutched the member register to her chest in defense. "But at this point you're like a probationary member. Akashi understands you're kind of a special case, but he expects the best. We all do. We haven't won the Winter Cup three straight years in a row through special circumstances."

Megumi's tongue suctioned to the roof of her bone dry mouth and refused to move.

"You need to earn your keep, that's all I'm saying. At the very, _very_ least you need to be able to recognize all out members on sight, and you should be able to consider their strengths and weaknesses with reference and research. You also need to be able to deal with comparative data from other teams alongside scouting our opponents. Eventually, you might be the one sitting on the bench by yourself. If getting to that point is what you want, I suggest you start now."

It seemed Megumi couldn't escape lectures lately: first from Yamada-sensei, now Higuchi-senpai. Every time she took a step forward, something else appeared in her way to complicate things. These were the sort of events that discouraged Megumi before, kept her from ever thinking of trying. But here, at this place, in this gymnasium, she knew it wasn't the same as before.

"Higuchi-senpai, I think you're misunderstanding something."

With an even gaze, Higuchi allowed her to speak.

"I already understand that I haven't just been given a free pass. In fact, this situation isn't entirely one of my choosing." Without Yamada-sensei's push, Megumi wouldn't have gotten to this point in her first trimester of high school, and she knew it. "However, after being put into this position, I plan to keep it, no matter the effort it takes. I intend to put in the effort necessary." Megumi adjusted her grip once again on the binder, not backing off from its weight. "If you'll give me a series of checkpoints, I'll happily work to bring my skills up to the appropriate level.

"Higuchi-senpai, you introduced yourself as a third-year, correct?"

"Yes," Higuchi said with an air that implied someone who couldn't remember that much didn't deserve to stand in the position of a potential manager.

"Then I think that your dedication to the club is admirable. Even though there are probably plenty of other suitable candidates, you're taking the effort to make sure someone like me has the ability to take care of things after graduation. I think…that I'd like to become as reliable as you someday."

"Kaizuto."

"Ah." Megumi hunched her shoulders in, hoping to appear smaller than usual. "I didn't mean to overstep my boundaries." Why did her mouth always go off when it was most likely to get her in trouble? "Please forgive—"

Higuchi turned on his heel, his expression flickering in discomfort. "I'll think of a suitable learning regimen for you," he said, heading into the boy's locker room. Megumi stood frozen, trying to properly reset her heartrate. Higuchi stuck his head back out the entryway, and Megumi yelped. "Try not to think so hard in front of the others, got it?"

"Understood!"

* * *

"You guys really didn't have to wait around for me so long," Megumi said for probably the fifth time before pressing a spoon of strawberry coated soft serve into her mouth. She had plenty of unused allowance lying around, so this indulgence wasn't any pressure on her budget. Across from her, Kenta slurped his way through a fudge-coated cone while Choukou sized up a parfait easily the size of her head. Both treats had been funded by the older cousin's wallet.

"Like I told ya, we just worked on homework in the library. 'S not a big deal." Choukou licked her lips and skewered the top of the parfait. Her spoon came back heaping in colorful bits of fruit before Choukou swallowed the bite whole. "Ah, this is worth waitin' on anyway! Plus your club activities run on Saturdays, too, so this is the best way to do it."

Megumi wasn't sure about the accuracy of that statement, but arguing wouldn't do any good. Choukou had easily imposed her will concerning their meet-up via text, and no hadn't been an answer. At least in this instance Megumi had been willing to go along. She still wasn't sure just what she was supposed to say, but she had always wanted to try hanging out with other people, even if it made her insides bristle a bit.

"Choukou, output speed," Kenta scolded, licking up a stray drizzle off the side of his cone. "You don't wanna overload Kaizuto-san, now do you?"

Megumi tried to ignore the heat in her cheeks at the defense. _Definitely not used to that._

Choukou clapped her hands together, though she was hardly visible behind her desert. "My bad, Me-chan. I have a hard time keeping my mouth shut sometimes." As if to illustrate her point, she inhaled the next portion of her desert without hesitation.

"You don't have to say you're okay with it, either," Kenta added, which was exactly what Megumi had been aiming to say. The boy smiled. "I know it's not easy, but you can tell her when she needs to shut up. She'll take it like a good sport. She's used to it."

Choukou grimaced. "Kenta, you're being so mean. How many games did you lose at club yesterday?"

"That's not the point."

"Sore loser, sore loser!"

Megumi giggled against her will. When the Yoshida cousin's eyes turned to her, Megumi shot her gaze downward. "Sorry," she breathed. "You two are fun to listen to." The usual tension in her stomach hadn't surfaced at all; even her pulse was regular. Bickering could still put you at ease. This was how family relationships were supposed to be. "Ah, I mean…"

A grin cracked Choukou's face in half and she threw her arms into the air. "We made Me-chan laugh!"

"High-five," Kenta cheered, mirroring his cousin's movements. They did their best to complete the motion, even if cone and spoon got in the way, and Choukou licked a few drizzles of melted fudge off her palm in the aftermath. Kenta gave another smile to Megumi's confused expression. "Sorry, we were worried you actually didn't feel comfortable with us yet, considering."

"So we're glad you're at least a little okay with us," Choukou continued. Saliva hadn't quite done the job, and she rubbed a napkin against her hand. "Everyone deserves a nice space to relax. So if we can do that for you, it's a job well done."

Megumi wasn't sure what she could say about that. No one had taken an interest in her well-being like this before. Yamada-sensei, with her professional and out-come based interest, didn't count. With a single working mom, Megumi hadn't gotten much in the way of parenting. Or helpful family life in general.

Trying to ignore the sense of nausea, Megumi set down her spoon and looked out the window. The row of buildings on the opposite end of the street locked out the view of the sky, and the amount of people didn't help her nerves either. Megumi silently checked to make sure her collar was buttoned and her jacket sleeves were steady at her wrists.

Chatter from other tables at the café filled her ears until Kenta cleared his throat. "But you probably wanted to ask more about club stuff," he said. Megumi nodded. The present moment was always the best distraction. "Especially with that thing."

Beside her half-eaten sundae sat the Basketball Club binder. Having been too big to fit in her school bag, Megumi had hauled it there by hand. She'd have to break it in smaller sections if she wanted to carry it around for study. Higuchi had probably prioritized delivery over practicality.

"You guys have a lot of members, huh?" Chouko peered at the binder as she slipped another fruit laden spoon into her mouth. "My middle school team didn't have nearly as many members as all that."

"Well, it's mostly data…" Megumi flipped open the cover and thumbed through the pages. Beyond generic member info were a number of estimated stats and possible training regimens, and at least each member had three pages a piece, though the upperclassmen easily had more. Megumi pushed the binder across to Choukou before the urge to find Akashi's page won out. "You played sports, though? Basketball?"

Choukou tossed a stray lock of hair back over her shoulder. "Nah, track." She clinked her spoon against the parfait dish. "Managed to bust my leg so I had to drop out. Which is fine; I like playing go a lot better anyways."

"A-ah…"

"I wonder if our managers ever had to deal with this stuff, though." Choukou flipped through the register's pages without really reading them. "Seems like a lot of things that _could_ be useful, but you don't know when you're gonna need them. Too bad that with this many members keeping a book like this around really wouldn't do you much good."

"We don't really deal with this sort of stuff in the Shogi Club," Kenta added. "We all play each other so we know our skill levels pretty good, and tournaments work on an individual, not team basis." Megumi nodded. "Plus I'm Treasurer, so I mostly focus on figuring out our travel funds and new boards and stuff. Ah, budget requests are in a few weeks…"

Megumi balked. "If I'm taking up your time, Senpai—"

Kenta waved the concern off, polishing off his cone at the same time. The scent of strawberries no longer upsetting her stomach, Megumi focused back in on eating her now half-melted treat. "I have all the papers done, I just gotta present to the Student Council. This isn't my first go round with this sort of stuff."

"Besides, everything's pretty well funded here. The Go Club has no trouble with getting our budgets through," Choukou remarked, glancing back to the binder. "Man, I wonder how much money you guys get. I mean, you're a national level team and you have all these members. But your numbers are wild."

Megumi let out a nervous laugh that warbled in the middle. "I think I'd rather stay far away from that…" Higuchi hadn't slipped any budget forms into that stack of paper had he? "That sort of stuff is way over my head…"

"Well, it's not like that's Me-chan's job anyways."

Thank goodness for that.

"But this binder's nuts," Choukou continued, giving up on skimming its contents and offering it to Kenta. He shook his head, and the girl flipped the cover shut. "I know you're in Class 1-A and all, but can you really learn all this? I mean, they don't really expect you to memorize the whole thing do they?"

Megumi bit her lip, and Kenta nudged Choukou in the side. She nearly lost her latest spoonful of ice cream and glared. Megumi pulled the binder back towards her, trying to ignore the weight under her fingertips. Yes, it was large, and, yes, it was filled with mostly trivial information, but Higuchi had claimed it her duty as a manager to take care of.

And Akashi thought the same.

"Actually, I'm not too worried about it."

The Yoshida cousins froze, Choukou pausing mid poke at Kenta's arm. Megumi hadn't even noticed them beginning to shove at each other. Choukou smoothed out part of her hair and wait back to her parfait as Kenta cleared his throat. "You're not, Kaizuto-san?"

Megumi shook her head, enjoying the sway of her ponytail against the back of her neck. A smile managed to creep onto her lips. "I really don't have much talent sports-wise, but I'm good at information. Sure, this might take a bit, but I should be able to get everyone's names and basics down in a couple of weeks. I just have to add it to my study regimen and try to get names right at practice. I don't know much about scouting, but I think I can learn. That's information again, so once I figure out what sort of data patterns I'm trying to predict, that should be a good start. Hm, maybe I should try to pick up some books on the way home…"

Choukou leaned close to Kenta and stage-whispered, "Class 1-A kids are a whole other level."

"Are you trying to poke fun at me for only making it into 2-B?" he hissed back.

"Ah, but you guys don't have to help me with that stuff," Megumi said, trying to keep the conversation on track. Her ice cream was almost a puddle of soft serve bleeding topping at this point. "Though maybe you could help me bounce off a couple of ideas here and there? Just so I can practice."

Kenta smiled, ignoring the clattering of Choukou's spoon hitting the bottom of her parfait dish. "I don't mind, of course. If you have any questions, just ask me, and I'll do my best," he said. Megumi nodded, resisting the urge to drink the rest of her sundae and worked on spooning it towards her mouth. "But if you don't mind me asking, Kaizuto-san, you mentioned you were pretty much an amateur while we were texting last night. Do you know anything about basketball?"

 _Ah._

Megumi froze.

 _I really am no good at thinking, am I?_

The Basketball Club hadn't mattered if it was basketball. Being a manager hadn't been because she had the skills. Membership had even become less about getting Yamada-sensei off her back. In the end, Megumi had followed her whims, her one trail of connection, and had aimed to be in the same club as Akashi, regardless of what that involved.

 _Because I followed after him like an idiot…_

"Me-chan?"

Megumi stood up, not even bothering to finish her ice cream. She kept her head down. Without looking to the Yoshida cousins, Megumi snatched up her schoolbag, hefting the club binder under her arm. "Sorry," she said. "I need to do some extra studying so I should go."

"We can walk home with you," Kenta hastily offered, trying to untangle his jacket sleeve from his backpack. "Or at least to the station. Which line do you use anyway?"

"I'm gonna stop by a few places. No need to bother yourselves."

"Me-chan, wait!" Choukou protested, even though Megumi was already fleeing to the door. "Sorry if we scared you! You can mail me later, alright? Promise you'll mail—"

The café door jangled as Megumi stepped onto the street, trying not to gasp for air. She strode down the street, remembering a line of stores on her way there. While it wouldn't make the most exciting reading, she needed to learn as much as she could about the sport, and fast. She was honestly shocked that Higuchi hadn't brought it up before. Maybe he didn't think that Megumi would be as stupid to join a club she knew nothing about.

 _Well, surprise is on you. I'm the master of getting myself into situations I can't handle._

Stopping at a crosswalk, Megumi peered up at the sky. In the line between buildings was nothing but cloud, not a single blue speck in sight. Pure white covered her vision, and humidity started to prickle under her collar. The signal sounded, and Megumi rushed across the street, finding the bookstore a few blocks later. It would be better on her budget to maybe loan some books from the library, but on short notice, this would work. She would need to have a permanent reference around anyways.

 _This scenario, this state of panic…_

Megumi ran her finger across book spines, trying to find a suitable title.

 _I really don't think I'll ever be able to be as reliable as Higuchi-senpai is. And I'll never be able to stand by Akashi-kun as equals._

Finding the basketball section, Megumi compared titles and summaries, hoping to find something that would help out even her amateur level.

 _But at the very least, I want to get as close to that as I possibly can!_

Lugging three books alongside her backpack and binder, Megumi headed home, wondering just how much reading she could schedule in between homework and dinner.

* * *

[NOTES] An update to one fic just a few weeks after I update another? Who knew that could even happen anymore? Valentine's Day miracle, I guess.

Thanks goes out to anon21 (Guest), loliconkawaii, zerorin05, ClaritaNox, CaptainPanic, Dina Sana, Supix, Rizuki Dhan, MydnightAvatar, AnyDreamWillDo19, and pr0blem0 for your favorites, follows, and reviews! Also thanks to all the people who keep spamming my inbox with notifications on _Visibility_. With your powers combined, you all urged me to bring this chapter to life.

A brief summary of events: I'm working on a collab with Chronic Guardian titled _Faded Lines and Future Signs_ over on the Sauce Project Collective account; [Shibuya Operation - Story Storm] is happening; I finished a novella draft; I'll be working on finishing up a random _Pokemon_ story titled _Save State_ so I can free up time to work on other projects.

(cough)

That being said, this chapter was slightly different than my original plans for it, mainly because the Yoshida cousins ended up taking on a bigger role than I expected. This is okay, as it gives Megumi more foils to work with. Also, Higuchi. I'm not sure what I'm doing with him. There's not a lot of canon with him, so working him into the story is tricky...

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. For more author ramblings, feel free to check out my twitter ( Plot_K_Bunny) for more story notes and whatnot.

That's enough from me. Please look forward to the next update!

[POST] 02.14.2017


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